They caught up at the Christchurch Casino on Saturday night and followed up with a match amongst themselves on Sunday at Lancaster Park – now a community ground after the demolition of the stadium in 2019.
The 1974 team featured two players who would go on to higher honours – Mark Johnson made the New Zealand U20 team and Glenn Bateman played 39 times for Canterbury in the 1980s, and many progressed to play senior cricket.
Bateman organised the event and said it was enjoyable catching up with his old teammates.
“We hadn’t seen one another in about 50 years, but, walking into the room, everybody recognised one another, the voices were the same,” he said.
“It was just tremendous.”
Bateman said the team had enjoyed a robust social life while on tour.
“The manager had his hands full supervising us.
“In one of the first motels, we made a pyramid of beer cans that reached the roof after two nights!
“We definitely let out hair down . . . and in those days it was very long.”
Some players had travelled from the North Island and Australia to be there for the reunion at the weekend.
Despite the group being in their late 60s, Bateman said they kept themselves fit and managed Sunday’s game okay.
“I played senior suburban cricket until I was 50, so only 18 years ago,” he said.
“And others have been playing bowls, so we weren’t a bunch of relics, but I think by Sunday afternoon most of us were pretty sore.”
Bateman said the group enjoyed the game, where they split into five teams and took turns batting and bowling against one another.
Johnson and Peter Hewson were the winners on the day while Bateman and Chris Astle, uncle of former Black Cap Nathan Astle, finished second.
They celebrated with some food and drink at the Fitz 2 Sports Bar across the road from Lancaster Park – the location of the old clubrooms and indoor training facilities that the team used when they played.
“The whole weekend was built around bringing back memories,” Bateman said.
“I’m very chuffed with how it all went.”
“I handed out phone numbers and email addresses at the end so we’ll try and keep in touch.
“Now we’ve done the traditional one after 50, we’ve thrown in the hat that we might go to the North Island next time to make it easier for those who came from there this year.”
By Sam Coughlan
